Sports

The Drill: Playing favorites

Reuters

Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has stood tall for the New York Rangers during the playoffs.

The National Hockey League is down to its conference finals. If you're not yet sure whom to root for, here's a handy guide:

If you like tradition: You can't top the Montreal Canadiens. Their 24 Stanley Cups are almost twice as many as any other team has won.

But, if you want to root for the modern-day powerhouse, the Chicago Blackhawks are your guys. They're seeking their third title in five years.

If you love "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request": It's likely that 98% of Chicago Cubs fans are pulling for the Blackhawks, but the New York Rangers might be the closest thing the NHL has to the Cubs. The Rangers went 54 years between Stanley Cups before winning again in 1994, and many of those lost seasons were when the league had just six teams.

If you're Swedish: Tough choice. Chicago has five Swedish natives on its roster. The New York Rangers have four, including standout goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

If you root for the local guys: The Rangers have two former University of Wisconsin players, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh. Montreal has one, Rene Bourque. The Canadiens also have center Alex Galchenyuk, who was born in Milwaukee in 1994, when his father, Alexander, played with the Admirals. The family moved to Europe a few years later.

If you're a celebrity watcher: New York, Chicago and Montreal all have their famous fans, but a big sporting event in L.A. brings out the stars. Los Angeles Kings followers include actors Will Ferrell, Matthew Perry and Tom Hanks, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and soccer star David Beckham.